Jan 7, 2005 By Jean Lohr For The 3 min read

Christie Regula pushes herself to excel. A second semester senior at Duke University in Durham, N.C., she has her eyes focused firmly on medical school. “Education is what you make of it,” she said. “Set your sights high, and never settle for less than you want.”

She lives by her word. May 15, the day she graduates, is also the day she must make the final determination.

“It is going to be difficult,” Regula said. “My whole future depends on this one decision.”

Regula, who is majoring in chemistry with a biology minor, has started the application and interview process. Penn State’s Milton S. Hershey Medical Center College of Medicine in Hershey, West Virginia University School of Medicine and Jefferson Medical College, a part of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, all rank high on her list.

Through college programs, she’s been able to shadow and intern.

“Duke has prepared me well,” she said. “They’ve taught me to deal with the people, not just with the books.”

Though she’s leaning toward dermatology or opthamology, determining a specialty can wait.

In the meantime, she is in her fourth year as a cheerleader for the Duke Blue Devils men’s football and basketball teams. This year she is co-captain with Amanda Cole, a fourth year psychology major from Hudson, N.C.

“At Duke, cheerleading is considered a sport,” Regula said.

The standards are high. The girls practice five times a week and maintain a rigid schedule of cardiovascular and weight training that includes running. They also must excel in the classroom.

“We’re in charge of practices and organization,” said Regula of the co-captains.

Traveling is a part of the mix. The cheerleaders have visited New York City, Los Angeles, Tallahassee, Fla., and many other cities in between. They travel with the men’s basketball squad and cheer at their games.

San Antonio, Texas, is Regula’s favorite city, so far. That’s where the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sponsors the Final Four Basketball Tournament each spring. Regula and her teammates have been there twice. She even appeared in a CBS television network commercial advertising the NCAA Final Four.

“The River Walk is wonderful,” she said of San Antonio, “and there’s so much history there. It’s a really nice place to visit.”

But home is where her heart is. She knows that one day she would like to settle in this area.

Regula, a 2001 graduate of Laurel Highlands High School, was senior class president, a member of the National Honor Society, a Mustang cheerleader, pole vaulter and runner. She said she could not single out any staff member who was especially helpful.

“They are all so wonderful,” she said. She was also a 13-year member of 4-H and was crowned Fayette County Fair Queen in 2002. She placed in the top five at the state pageant.

She grew up on a beef cattle farm in South Union Township, with her sister Rae Lynn, who is a law school student at WVU, and her brother, E.J., a senior at Laurel Highlands.

Regula credits her parents, Ed and Toni Regula, with inspiring her.

“They’ve taught me that ‘if you don’t love it, it’s not worth it,'” she said. “They have been so supportive, helping me in whatever I do. And they’ve never put any pressure on me.” For more information about Duke University, visit www.duke.edu; or Blue Devil cheerleading at www,duke.edu/web/cheer/duke_002.htm.